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Puig leaps into lead in NL outfield voting

Tulowitzki remains top vote-getter, Stanton moves up in outfield, race at first tightens

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By Joey Nowak
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MLB.com |

The closest races from last week's National League All-Star ballot update took a turn over the course of the past six days, with shakeups occurring at the top outfield spots and in the race at first base.

The leader at each infield position -- including catcher -- remained the same, but Dodgers star Yasiel Puig (935,276) made an astronomical jump from fifth to first in the outfield voting. He now leads a field that includes Charlie Blackmon (last week's top outfield vote-getter, now with 883,186 votes) and Giancarlo Stanton (863,307) as the outfielders currently in position to start.

Stanton leads the league in home runs (16) and RBIs (51).

Defending NL Most Valuable Player Andrew McCutchen (823,862), who was in second place last week, is on the outside looking in, and the Brewers' Carlos Gomez (819,385) occupies the fifth spot. His teammate Ryan Braun (750,672) is in sixth. The top three last week were Blackmon, McCutchen and Braun.

The only other significant flip-flop came in the race for first base, which was a close one last week. The Dodgers' Adrian Gonzalez (647,826) still leads, but it's Colorado's Justin Morneau (525,614) who is now in second place ahead of Atlanta's Freddie Freeman (511,177), who occupied the No. 2 spot last week.

The top overall vote-getter remains Rockies superstar shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (1,419,718), who jumped out ahead of the field early in the voting and maintains a huge lead that is approaching one million. He and Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina (1,210,579) are the only two NL players who have received more than one million votes. Tulowitzki -- who led the league in batting average (.350) and WAR (4.5) entering play on Tuesday -- remains the top vote-getter in either league, just ahead of the Angels' Mike Trout (1,361,649) and the Blue Jays' Jose Bautista (1,351,896).

Fans can cast their votes for starting position players at MLB.com and all 30 club sites -- online or on a mobile device -- using the 2014 All-Star Game MLB.com Ballot Sponsored by Experian until Thursday, July 3, at 11:59 p.m. ET. The 2014 All-Star Game will be played at Target Field on Tuesday, July 15.

Fans may submit up to 25 online ballots, but they can also earn a one-time bonus of 10 additional online ballots. To access these additional online ballots, you must be logged into your MLB.com account when you submit any online ballot. If you do not have an MLB.com account, register on the site in accordance with the enrollment instructions for a free MLB.com account.

Aside from the outfield, the closest NL race is at third base, where Colorado's Nolan Arenado (590,745) continues to lead the pack. But David Wright (565,982) of the Mets moved into second place and is on his heels, followed by the Brewers' Aramis Ramirez (472,321), the Giants' Pablo Sandoval (463,050) and the Dodgers' Juan Uribe (436,776).

Both Arenado and his teammate Blackmon are aiming for their first All-Star appearances.

As was the case last week, the Phillies' Chase Utley (974,196) has a solid lead for the starting second-base spot ahead of the Dodgers' Dee Gordon (530,289). Meanwhile, the Giants' Brandon Crawford (446,937) and Buster Posey (766,356) have quite a ways to go to catch front-runners Tulowitkzi and Molina, respectively.

Fans this year once again can participate in the Home Run Derby Fan Poll. Fans will have the opportunity to select three players in each league who they would most like to see participate in the Home Run Derby. The 2014 Home Run Derby will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN HD, ESPN Deportes and ESPN Radio in the United States beginning at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, July 14.

The 2014 American League and National League All-Star teams will be unveiled on the 2014 MLB All-Star Game Selection Show during the weekend of July 5-6, with further details to follow on MLB.com. Immediately following the announcement of the AL and NL All-Star rosters, fans can begin voting to select the final player for each league's 34-man roster via the 2014 All-Star Game MLB.com Final Vote Sponsored by Experian. Fans will cast their votes from a list of five players from each league over the balloting period.

And the voting doesn't end there. The final phase of All-Star Game voting will again have fans participating in the voting for the Ted Williams All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet. During the Midsummer Classic, fans will vote exclusively online at MLB.com via the 2014 All-Star Game MLB.com MVP Vote Sponsored by Pepsi, and their voice will represent 20 percent of the overall vote that determines the recipient of the Arch Ward Trophy.

The 85th All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS, and worldwide by partners in more than 200 countries via MLB International's independent feed. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network and SiriusXM will also provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information, please visit allstargame.com.